A video of the attack on 15 paramedics in Gaza contradicts Israel's version.
The images show that the cars in which the medical personnel were traveling were identified as rescue vehicles and had their lights on.
BarcelonaA video of the Israeli attack on fifteen paramedics from the Palestinian Red Crescent, the UN, and the Civil Defense in Gaza, seen by ARA, contradicts the Israeli version that the vehicles were driving without lights and were moving "suspiciously" toward the Israeli soldiers. The footage shows that the ambulances carrying the medical personnel, who were dressed in reflective uniforms, and the fire truck accompanying them were clearly marked as rescue vehicles and had their emergency lights on. The video has also been published by other media outlets, such as the American newspaper The New York Times, which verified the footage and concluded that it was recorded during the early hours of March 23 in Rafah, southern Gaza, where the attack took place. The Israeli military has responded to the release of the video by saying it is investigating exactly what happened that day and will thoroughly examine the released footage.
Israel insists that there were "terrorists" in the vehicles, and that's why it attacked them. It also claims to have killed nine suspected militants, although so far it has only named one of the alleged militants it killed. The name does not match the names of any of the medical and rescue workers killed in the attack. Eight were Palestinian Red Crescent doctors, and six were members of the Civil Defense first aid corps. It also does not match the name of a fifteenth emergency worker killed, who was a UNRWA staff member.
In the video, a paramedic filming the incident can be seen saying, "Sorry, Mom, this is the path I've chosen: to help people." Gunshots ring out for five minutes, as the image fades to black. The man asks God for forgiveness and says he knows he's going to die.
The events occurred on Sunday, March 23, when Israel ordered the forced evacuation of the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, which was bombed shortly afterward. The Red Crescent then mobilized two ambulances to search for the wounded, and after losing contact with one of the vehicles, sent several more rescue teams, which were also attacked for several hours, according to the United Nations.
Emergency services were unable to access the area until four days after the attack. At that time, they only recovered the body of a single Civil Defense worker. The following Sunday, in a renewed search, rescue teams Fourteen more bodies were unearthed from a mass grave.
On Wednesday, the Israeli army acknowledged that it covered the bodies of the fifteen paramedics "with cloth and earth," justifying it by claiming that they anticipated they would not be rescued immediately. According to the Civil Defense, some of the medical and rescue workers were found with their hands tied and gunshot wounds to the head and chest. In fact, Ahmad Dhaher, a forensic doctor who examined the bodies at Nasser Hospital, where they were taken, explained to the British newspaperThe Guardianwho had died from a shot at close range, since the locations of the bullet wounds were specific and intentional. "One was shot in the head, another in the heart, and a third victim had six or seven bullets in the torso," the doctor explained.
Following the video released this Saturday, Hamas authorities in Gaza have reacted as follows: "We are witnessing a total, premeditated, and deliberate war crime, which demonstrates a complete disregard for the blood of medical and humanitarian personnel." The Gaza authorities are calling for an international investigation into the events and the dispatch of a forensic team to visit the mass grave. They also demand that those responsible be brought to trial before the International Criminal Court.
Meanwhile, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have continued in the last 24 hours, leaving 60 people dead and 162 injured.
